Wicked weather causing damage in Israel

Heavy rain and high winds disrupted air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport. Some wind gusts reached 62 miles per hour, according to reports.

The severe weather is supposed to last at least until Saturday; Friday is expected to be the coldest day of the year throughout the country. Snowfall is possible in the center of the country, including Jerusalem.

Mount Hermon was closed to skiers and other visitors Thursday after 10 inches of snow accumulated over Wednesday night — the highest amount on the mountain in a decade. Many roads and schools in the Golan Heights were closed, The Jerusalem Post reported.

On Wednesday, the level of the Sea of Galilee in the country’s North rose by more than an inch and sandstorms hit the South, which now is expecting flooding.

In Tel Aviv, power lines were downed by uprooted trees, and a bench was ripped from the sidewalk and thrown into a main street, Haaretz reported. Street signs and traffic lights also were blown down.